The Secret Asgardian (An Avengers Fanfiction)

Chapter 13: Explaining

13. Explaining

I blinked a few times blearily, waking up slowly. Yawning, I wriggled in my seat. I was back in the helicopter, with Thor and Peter opposite me. I noticed a new addition, sat furthest away from the rest of us, and I smiled warmly at her.

"Diana. You waited for us then," I said, stating the obvious, and she frowned, clearly wishing she was somewhere else.

Her pale face had wet tear marks down her cheeks, and my sleepy brain finally remembered what had happened.

"Where's my mother?" Diana demanded, her eyes wet.

"I don't know," I sighed wearily, leaning back against the seat. I felt a slight twinge from my wrist, but otherwise I felt fine. The worst injuries always took slightly longer to heal completely. I studied my wrist, and smiled when I saw no permanent damage, apart from a thin scar.

"We'll find her," Peter assured the girl, who struggled to keep her tears in check.

"How long have I slept?" I asked, looking at Thor, who smiled slightly.

"Not that long. About half an hour," He replied, and my eyes widened.

"Really? Huh. Normally it takes longer for me to heal," I murmured wonderingly, and he chuckled.

"Maybe you're starting to get used to being injured," He joked, and I rolled my eyes.

"What did that man want with her?" Diana butted in before I could make a snappy retort, and Peter and I exchanged glances.

"Shall I explain?" I asked dully, and he nodded.

Ten minutes later, I'd explained all about Asgard, the nine realms, Loki, what Frost Giants were, the avengers and the book being stolen from the museum, though not necessarily in that order. Diana was silent throughout this, and when I finished she looked confused, which was understandable - I was confused, and I was the one explaining it.

"So you're ... not human?" She struggled, and I nodded silently.

"And neither are you," She turned her gaze on Thor.

"No, I'm definitely Asgardian," He smiled like he was in on a private joke.

I guess it was funny for the King of Asgard to be asked if he was an Asgardian, but obviously Diana didn't know this. I'd decided to leave Thor's royal status out of the explanation, and mine for that matter, and he didn't seem to mind.

"Then what are you? An alien?" She asked Peter, almost sarcastic, and I fought back a snigger at the look on his face.

"No, I'm human, just like you!" He exclaimed.

Diana didn't look convinced, and I changed the subject.

"What's important now is that you help us," I started, and she cut me off.

"How can I help you?" Diana said disbelievingly.

"First, tell me exactly what Atlantis is, and the story behind it," I said firmly, and she shrugged after a moment.

"Ok."

I learnt that Atlantis had once been a great, supremely-advanced city on a lonely island long ago, and only a few people at the time knew where it was. Something happened many centuries ago, and the island sunk in a single night, lost without a trace. Its location was lost over the years, and now no one knew or cared where this island was, as it was originally told as a Greek myth.

Everyone knows that myths aren't real.

"A myth? Then what's the big deal about the book? What could it possibly have in it that Loki would want to know about a myth?" Peter interrupted in a sceptical tone, and Diana's eyes flashed.

"Atlantis is no myth, it's not a story. It's real. The book from the museum, the one my mother donated, it tells of a way to reach Atlantis, to find the lost island. Think of the knowledge that was lost, and now could be found again!" Diana said passionately, her eyes alive with excitement.

"Maybe that's what Loki wants: Knowledge," I suggested, though it didn't feel like the right reason.

"You said that you can read Atlantic, right? The language of Atlantis?" I asked, trying to ignore my own confusion.

"Yes, I can," Diana confirmed.

"But so can your mother?"

"Yes, she taught me remember?"

"And Loki has the book too. How can we stop them?" I groaned helplessly.

Diana coughed, like she wanted to say something, and my eyes flickered over to her, a question on my face.

"Well, while everyone was running out of the house and you were still in the ballroom, I went and got something from my room before leaving," She said hesitantly, and I only then noticed the satchel she had on her lap.

"Go on," Peter said, leaning forward eagerly.

"I, uh, grabbed some notes I made on the book," She finished lamely, and I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Before the book went to the museum, I sort of copied the whole thing out on paper," Diana said looking sheepish.

"Why would you do that?" I asked in disbelief.

"I told you, this type of thing really interests me! When the book went to the museum, I knew I wouldn't get to read it again. My mother only let me read it once, while she supervised, and I had to wear gloves just to turn the pages," Her nose wrinkled slightly at the thought, "So I copied it out, every page. Took me a whole night to do it, and in the morning the book was sent to London. I keep my copy of the book in this bag," She looked at the satchel pointedly, and a small grin crept across my face. Diana had to be the oddest thirteen year old that I had ever met.

"That's brilliant! If you could translate-"

I was interrupted by a series of explosions. The helicopter jerked, and the speaker crackled to life.

"There's something happening down there! I can't land!" The pilot said frantically.

I unbuckled my seat belt and leapt to the window, and looked at S.H.I.E.L.D's burning base as the helicopter flew towards it, vivid orange flames against the cool blue of the sky.